welcome to hope
SPARKS is proud to celebrate more than 10 years
of serving the autism community.
OUR STORY
Our founders envisioned a place where children with autism from underserved communities build the confidence and resiliency needed to live a happy, successful, and fulfilling life.
Established in 2010, SPARKS helps children and young adults with autism reach their highest potential. Through our programs and partnerships, we work to increase autism acceptance and awareness and to develop quality services for all children and young adults in need across a broad range of communities.
Our team specializes in the science-based principles of contemporary applied behavior analysis (ABA), using data and evidence to deliver highly personalized treatment for every child in our care. Over the last decade, our passionate staff and thoughtful programming have helped families in Washington, D.C., southern Maryland, and northern Virginia.
The LEARN Advantage
Local Services, National Resources
Our team at SPARKS delivers services in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, but we’re also part of LEARN Behavioral, a national organization that specializes in using contemporary applied behavior analysis (ABA) to deliver treatment tailored exclusively to the needs of every child.
As part of LEARN, SPARKS offers your child and family the convenience and familiarity of local services, with the advantages of a progressive and collaborative national organization at the forefront of autism treatment.
And the advantages are real.
Our clinicians arrive at work each day equipped with the latest research, the most extensive support and professional development, and clinical insights from one of the largest and most diverse behavioral health data sets in the country, amassed from treating more than 25,000 children over two decades. Our ability to derive insights from your child’s data, in addition to the aggregated data we’ve accumulated over time and across the country, gives us what we need to make evidence-based treatment decisions—and ultimately deliver personalized, effective care.
With more than 30 doctoral-level clinicians, 450 behavior analysts, and 3,700 behavior technicians, our organization treats more than 5,000 children across 15 states—and counting. Our clinical team, led by Hanna Rue, PhD, BCBA-D, makes up a concentration of ABA professionals unmatched by any other provider. Likewise, our clinical practice has been built over time by the collective inputs of leading minds and founding luminaries in the autism field, including Connie Kasari, Carl Sundberg, Bill Frea, Marjorie Charlop, Ronit Molko, Linda LeBlanc, and Laura Schreibman.
MEET OUR TEAM
Kayla Bagnato, MEd, BCBA, LBA
Assistant Clinical Director
Geneviève Marshall, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA
Senior Clinical Director
Sabrina Daneshvar, PhD, BCBA-D
Senior Vice President
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
LEARN and SPARKS KNOW WE’RE NOT ALL THE SAME.
Recognizing differences and tailoring our approach are at the core of what we do. That’s why we’re committed to fostering a culture that embraces what makes us each unique, whether race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disabilities/abilities, or socioeconomic background. LEARN and SPARKS aim to acknowledge the lived experiences and diversity of perspectives of our staff and the children and families we serve. We pledge to create a community centered around trust, respect, tolerance, and empathy. Together, we’re better.
Let’s Talk
Reach out if you’d like to chat.
Regardless of your child’s age or where you are in your journey, we can help.